Novak Djokovic’s win in Montreal this past weekend confirmed many things. The first was that he is undeniably the world’s third best player. Even if the rankings imply that Andy Roddick or Nikolay Davydenko are within shouting distance of Djokovic, that should be taken with a grain of salt. Just as Roger Federer is the world’s No.1 by a country mile, with the same applying to Rafael Nadal as second-in-command, Novak is clearly the third best by a similarly wide margin, further distancing himself from his competition with each passing tournament.

The victory also confirmed what many of us already suspected - that Djokovic’s stellar play earlier in the year at Indian Wells and Miami was no fluke. Hard courts are Djokovic’s preferred surface by his own admission, but to pick up right where he left off back in the spring is what impresses me the most. Not many players can afford to take the extended post-Wimbledon breaks and resume their dominance. Federer is the classic example, and now you can throw Djokovic into that conversation as well.

To fully appreciate Novak’s game, his overall play throughout the year needs to be viewed – not just this past week when he ousted the top three seeds in succession in Canada. After Djokovic’s triumph in Miami, he continued to play elite-level tennis in the biggest tournaments of the year. He was a semi-finalist at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon, a fact often overlooked due to the similar dual-surface achievements of Federer and Nadal. Djokovic hasn’t made the ultimate breakthrough just yet – winning a Grand Slam – but it only appears to be a matter of time based on the kind of year he’s having.

'Djokovic hasn’t made the ultimate breakthrough just yet – winning a Grand Slam – but it only appears to be a matter of time based on the kind of year he’s having'


The steely nature of Djokovic – one of his best qualities as a tennis player – was often on display this week. A pair of 7-2 victories in the first and third-set tiebreakers against Federer proved that no moment was too pressure-packed for the Serbian to handle. Djokovic goes for his shots with an uncanny frequency, and has the confidence that they all will fall in. His semi-final against Nadal may have shown this even more so than his final against Roger.

From the start of the Nadal match, the pair of European stars exchanged ground strokes that led to some highlight-reel replays. But Djokovic’s most important trait was his belief – he didn’t just play with Nadal, but played above him. Rafa, who has become the epitome of willing oneself to victory, couldn’t match the intensity that Djokovic had on the day. It’s one of the few times I’ve really seen Nadal, for lack of a better word, tuned out. After two sets, the Spaniard packed his bag and headed for the locker room without much spark. It was a very unfamiliar sight to see.

Djokovic’s win over Federer was the first of his career, and they will certainly battle again on big stages. But Novak’s match against Nadal was more intriguing to me, because I sense that there is another great rivalry waiting to bloom. Djokovic has won his last two matches against Nadal, after Rafa took their first few contests. While Federer/Nadal has become this generation’s Sampras/Agassi or Borg/McEnroe, Nadal/Djokovic has the potential to be the rivalry built for the longer haul. After all, Federer just turned 26, while both Novak and Rafa have just entered their 20s.

In addition, Federer and Nadal will be almost always be pitted against each other in a final, as they have been ranked No.1 and No,2 since I can remember. That’s not the case for Djokovic and Nadal, who can still be paired on the same side of Masters Series and/or Grand Slam draws, leading to more meetings between the two.

There is a tier system in men’s tennis, and if you view Rafael Nadal in the same company as Roger Federer (I think you should, to a certain degree), it’s now my belief that the most upper echelon of players now has three card-carrying members - and the newest one of these is Novak Djokovic.